An overnight experience in a Skoda

Joss Davidge, Business Director of brand experience agency BEcause, continues his weekly search for innovative marketing ideas.

This week he looks at a fun experiential campaign created by Skoda that targeted young Russians.
 
Skoda Russia wanted to talk to young Russians about the Fabia and bring people’s attention to its features and suitability as a low-cost vehicle. To give people a chance to get up-close and personal Skoda turned to experiential marketing. The marque transformed the car into a hostel where traveling Russians could rest their head for the night and experience the car’s features first hand.
 
The Fabia Hostel was decked out with all that you’d expect to find for an overnight stay (including a double bed and Wi-Fi) and was placed in a well-known park in Moscow. To draw attention to the accommodation and get people booked in, Skoda managed to secure prominent placement in the search results of top hostel booking websites. Those who decided to get involved then paid for their stay with Facebook likes and other mentions on social media.
 
 
It is an interesting approach from a car brand, targeting the right type of consumer by piggy-backing on their hunt for affordable accommodation. The campaign spoke to people who weren’t necessarily considering purchasing a car, but who were looking for a good deal. Skoda could have halted the campaign there, appearing on hostel websites is a great move, but the marque extended the campaign by taking it offline and giving people a chance to have a unique experience that they were bound to talk about.   

Read more from Joss Davidge in our Clubhouse.